t Fresco of the coronation of the Virgin Mary, Basílica de la Macarena
t Fresco of the coronation of the Virgin Mary, Basílica de la Macarena
Experience La Macarena
Once orchards and farmland, La Macarena was settled by the Moorish Almohads in the 12th century. It became the most northern part of Seville and the city walls, remnants of which can still be seen today, were expanded to encompass this new settlement.
Between 1247 and 1248, the area was taken by the Christians as part of the reconquista. Shortly after, in a bid to boost the economy of this newly Christian district, a bustling market sprang up on Calle de la Feria, which still exists today in the form of the weekly El Jueves second-hand market.
By far the area’s most famous and celebrated inhabitant is the 17th-century statue of the Virgen de la Esperanza Macarena, a magnificently resplendent depiction of the Madonna weeping. It has been housed in the purpose-built Basílica de la Macarena since 1949. Every year, during Semana Santa (Holy Week), the statue is brought out in the huge processions that fill the streets of La Macarena, where it is enthusiastically revered.
Today, while some of the area’s old buildings lie in a state of disrepair, many have been carefully restored, including the 16th-century Hospital de las Cinco Llagas. A working hospital until 1978, it now serves as the seat of Andalucía’s Parliament.